MINNEAPOLIS — As the Detroit Lions' season was ticking towards its inevitable end last month, safety Glover Quin spent a minute pondering one very important question: Where are the Lions at in their window to win a Super Bowl?

"I wouldn’t say the beginning," Quin, 32, said at the time.

Given the age and contract status of their current roster, the Lions are probably in the middle of their window to win a championship, and maybe closer to the end when you consider the relative youth of some of the NFC’s other title contenders.

But with the New England Patriots’ nearly two-decade-old dynasty maybe, finally in its golden years, it’s worth wondering what other teams have a chance to take the baton from Tom Brady when Gisele (or Jay Feely, or whoever) talks him into retirement, and if at that time the Lions might still be in a position to contend.

"I think we got a good team,” Quin said in late December, days before the Lions finished their mediocre season with a win over the Green Bay Packers. “I think we got some good pieces, and these guys are going to mature in the offseason and they got to come back and you’ve got to have enough guys that are in key spots, key roles that understand how to win those games and some of those close games turn in your favor."

With the caveat that no one knows what this offseason will hold in terms of free-agent or draft additions for the Lions or anyone else, the Lions are about to enter a five-year window with a new coach in Matt Patricia that coincides with Matthew Stafford’s new contract and is perhaps the organization’s best chance to win a title since Barry Sanders was in his prime.

Stafford turns 30 next week, and though Brady, Drew Brees and others have proven quarterbacks can play well into their late 30s, it’s fair to say these next few seasons will be the prime of his career.

Matthew Stafford throws the ball into the Ford Field crowd after catching a two-point conversion against the Packers on Dec 31, 2017.(Photo: Raj Mehta, USA TODAY Sports)

He has three pretty good receivers to throw to in Marvin Jones, Golden Tate and Kenny Golladay, and a talented if underachieving offensive line, though the Lions are headed for some inevitable churn on that side of the ball in the coming years. Tate and T.J. Lang will both play next season on the wrong side of 30, and there are questions to be answered at running back and tight end.

Take quarterbacks Stafford and Brady out of the mix, and the Lions actually fielded an older starting offense than the Patriots this season (27 years old vs. 26.3).

Defensively, the Lions are headed for an overhaul with players like Ziggy Ansah, Haloti Ngata, Tahir Whitehead, Paul Worrilow, Tavon Wilson and Nevin Lawson a month away from free agency. But even if, say, Ansah and Ngata return, the Lions have enough young, ascending talent — Jarrad Davis, A’Shawn Robinson, Teez Tabor and Jalen Reeves-Maybin are 22 and Darius Slay just turned 27 — to expect improvements on that side of the ball.

The best Lions defense in recent memory was in 2014, when Ndamukong Suh, DeAndre Levy and Quin all were in the prime of their careers, but Stafford was still rounding into form as a quarterback.

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Had the Lions been able to keep that unit together — Suh left in free agency after the season, and Levy suffered what amounted to career-ending hip and knee injuries — there’s no telling what the team could have become.

"Well, 2014 we had a good team,” Quin said. “We had some good players, some key players, but we still — a lot of the guys that you’re seeing in roles now were young in 2014 team. Stafford was only what, Year 6? Me and Stafford the same year, so Stafford was Year 6, I was Year 6. Calvin (Johnson) was only (Year 8). We had good guys, and that was a good year for us. A year that we probably could have made some good noise and unfortunate how the season ended. We lost a divisional game, championship game in Green Bay, then we went to Dallas and got a tough break and lost that game. But I do feel like that was a good team that had some real good pieces."

Those two teams, the Packers and the Cowboys, should remain among the Lions’ staunchest contenders in the NFC going forward.

Aaron Rodgers turned 34 last month and remains the best quarterback in the NFL. And the Cowboys won nine games last season, the same as the Lions, while their two best offensive players (Ezekiel Elliott and Tyron Smith) missed a combined nine games.

So where do the Lions rank among challengers to New England’s throne going forward?

Here’s my list of top contenders in the NFC for 2018 (with an eye on the years beyond).

Eagles coach Doug Pederson, left, and injured quarterback Carson Wentz hug near the end of the Eagles' 38-7 win over the Vikings in the NFC championship game Jan. 21, 2018.(Photo: The Associated Press)

1. Philadelphia Eagles: The Eagles were the best team in the NFL for most of the season, and they might have been favorites to win Super Bowl LII if Carson Wentz was healthy. There’s no guarantee Wentz returns to form after tearing his ACL and LCL in December, but he’ll be a star if he does. Wentz doesn’t have any one great skill player around him, but he does have lots of good ones. And while the defense isn’t young, it’ll be good as long as coordinator Jim Schwartz sticks around.

2: New Orleans Saints: Brees just turned 39 and can’t play forever. But the Saints had the best rookie class in the NFL this season, with Ryan Ramczyk, Marshon Lattimore, Alvin Kamara and Marcus Williams all looking like potential stars. They have a couple other difference makers in Michael Thomas and Cameron Jordan, and came a miracle away from playing in the NFC title game.

3: Dallas Cowboys: Elliott and that offensive line will make the Cowboys formidable next season, though health and money may eventually force a break up. Dak Prescott needs to be better in 2018. So does the defense, though as long as DeMarcus Lawrence returns in free agency, the Cowboys will be able to pressure opposing QBs.

Rams running back Todd Gurley, left, takes a handoff from QB Jared Goff in a wildcard game on Jan. 6.(Photo: CHUCK KIRMAN/THE STAR)

4: Los Angeles Rams: The Rams might have the most long term staying power of the group, with a star running back in Todd Gurley to complement Jared Goff, a stud defensive tackle in Aaron Donald on the other side of the ball, and a bright young coach in Sean McVay. The Seattle Seahawks are aging and the Arizona Cardinals will struggle to keep up in the NFC West, but the San Francisco 49ers are one good draft away from climbing into the top five (as long as Jimmy Garoppolo plays like he did to end 2017).

5: Green Bay Packers: It’ll be interesting to see how active the Packers are in free agency now that Ted Thompson is gone. The Lions might have a slightly better roster, but the Packers will be the favorites to win the North so long as Rodgers is under center.

6: Minnesota Vikings: There's not enough clarity at the quarterback position for me to put the Vikings any higher, but with Dalvin Cook and that defense, there's no reason to expect much of a fall off in 2018.

7: Atlanta Falcons: Let's give the Falcons credit. Teams that lose in the Super Bowl tend to miss the playoffs the next season, and the Falcons won 10 games while breaking in a new offensive coordinator. The offense still has some of the best weapons in the game, led by Julio Jones.

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, left, and defensive coordinator Matt Patricia use a tablet device on the sideline in the second half against the Titans on Dec. 20, 2015 in Foxborough, Mass.
Charles Krupa, AP

Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, left, and coach Bill Belichick walk on the sideline during the first half of the team's divisional playoff game against the Texans, Jan. 14, 2017 in Foxborough, Mass.
Charles Krupa, AP

Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler, right, jokes with defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, as he holds the Vince Lombardi trophy and addresses the crowd during a rally Feb. 7, 2017 in Boston to celebrate New England's 34-28 win over the Falcons in the Super Bowl.
Elise Amendola, AP

Patriots defensive coodinator Matt Patricia reacts in the second quarter of the AFC Divisional Playoff game against the Titans at Gillette Stadium on Jan. 13, 2018 in Foxborough, Mass.
Maddie Meyer, Getty Images

Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, left, and center David Andrews celebrate after defeating the Titans in the AFC Divisional Playoff game at Gillette Stadium on Jan. 13, 2018.
John Cetrino, EPA

Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, top, and his son make angels in the confetti to celebrate defeating the Jaguars in the AFC Championship Game in Foxborough, Mass. on Jan. 21, 2018.
CJ Gunther, EPA

Matt Patricia (right) and Bill Belichick during the third quarter of the Patriots' 41-33 loss to the Eagles in Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday, Feb. 4, 2018.
Charles LeClaire, USA TODAY Sports

8: Detroit Lions: Patricia will have his work cut out in what should be a deep NFC next season, but the Lions have a better, say, five-year outlook than the Saints and Vikings. Stafford is poised for another big season in 2018, but the defense could be headed for major changes. Long term, the Eagles and Rams might be the best teams on this list, and a year from now, the 49ers could be up there with them. But if Patricia can bring the defense close to its 2014 level, the Lions might finally be able to break their playoff drought.